It’s fifteen after five.
I should have known better.
I mean, really, why would somebody like him be on time? It’s not like he cares, not like my time is valuable to him. There was a big party at one of the fraternity houses last night, I’m pretty sure Bonnie went, and I’m positive Justin Timberlake was there too with his perfect looking girlfriend.
In fact, I’m positive everyone in my dorm house was there, with the exception of myself.
Max says I have the personality of a concrete wall and that’s why nobody likes me. I’ve tried to argue with him but it never works out. I’m not good at defending myself in front of him.
He always wins.
I’m not looking forward to seeing him again. Not looking forward to being called “smelly Ellie” all winter break. Not looking forward to explaining what happened to my date when I don’t show up with one.
There’s no way I’m going to get someone to come home with me. I mean, what the hell was I thinking? Who the hell would ever want to come home with me? Better yet, why would I want to subject some poor soul to the experience of Christmas with my family?
It was a stupid idea, and the lie I tell will be even worse. I can see myself now, sitting in the corner during the dinner party, watching as my step sister whispers and laughs about me with her friends, watching as my father dances with his wife, completely forgetting that I exist, grimacing as Max makes snide remarks about me every time he walks by.
I’ll be Invisible Ellie once again.
I sniff, flick away a tear.
I feel hopeless, but this is my own fault. I shouldn’t have opened my mouth, but I just…I just wanted my dad to notice me…to appreciate me.
It’s pathetic, and if I could bring myself to call and cancel I would, but I can’t do it. I don’t have it in me to tell him I lied.
I’ll just lie to his face instead. I’m hoping it will be easier, even though I know the truth.
A door creaks open, and I look over my shoulder. Justin is staggering into the empty student union, holding his head in one hand and a large coffee in the other. He’s in Tarheel blue jogging pants and matching tee shirt baring his old university’s logo.
So much for school pride.
He disgusts me. He disgusts me so much because he doesn’t have to try. He just rolled out of bed after a night of partying and he still looks semi put together. Better yet, he’s about to have me do his work for him so he can continue to party, and when he turns pro, he’ll have achieved more fame than he could ever imagine, having barely worked for it.
It’s just not fair. I work. I work hard. I don’t take my step mother’s money. I don’t believe in that. I think you should work for what you want, and I received a full scholarship to this university. My brother took the easy way out, but then again, he wouldn’t have gotten into F.I.T without her help.
I don’t blame him.
I guess I just miss him more than I care to admit.
“Are you her?”
I look up and he’s standing before me, waiting for me to answer him with bloodshot eyes. It takes him a couple of seconds more for his eyes to widen slightly, and I know he remembers me from the game. It’s uncanny that he needs my help now, after that embarrassment, and the moment I realized it was him on the other end of that line, I wanted to hang up.
“Nice of you to be prompt,” I mutter.
Justin plops into the seat across from me with a thud and plunks his coffee down on the table top. I sit back and cross my arms, not hesitating to narrow my eyes and give him a strong glare.
“What do I need to do?” He says, weakly, placing his face in his hands. “Just tell me so I can go back to sleep.”
“It’s not my fault you were out at a party all night. You knew what time you were supposed to meet me.”
It takes him a minute, but he’s finally able to look at me. “Everyone was there.”
“Really? I wasn’t.”
“Of course you weren’t,” he half laughs, before remembering himself. “Sorry.”
He’s too cocky for his own good. I can tell by the way he smiles, by the way he doesn’t care about putting his head down on the table. He just expects everything to be handed to him. Mr. MVP.
It makes me sick to my stomach.
I’d do my self a disservice if I walked away right now. I’ll be turning down more money than I want to, and I’ll be that much further away from getting my own place, but I’d rather put up with another summer of Max’s criticism than see this asshole get his way again.
“Figure it out yourself.” I get up, and slide the chair aside, before storming away.
“What? Wait!”
I don’t listen. I bang out the door, feeling the smile spread across my face once the cool air hits it. For once, I’ve beaten them…the privileged.
It feels amazing.
“Wait…would you just wait!”
I feel his hand land on my shoulder, and then he pulls me to a rough halt in the middle of the sidewalk. I shriek and whirl around, ready to slap him. “Who do you think…”
“Look!” He pants harshly, and narrows his eyes. “I’m…I’m sorry. I’m sorry about that comment back there, and I’m really sorry about hitting you with that basketball at the game. I’m pretty desperate here. I need you to do this for me. You’re…you’re in my Lit class right? Edie?”
I stand there with my lips pursed together. I can’t run anymore, can’t turn away from him. I don’t know what it is but he seemed a little more genuine just then, even though I can tell how hungover he is. “It’s Ellie.”
“Er…right. I knew that.”
He flashes me a perfect smile, and I stare at him for the longest time. I can see why he’s such a ladies man. That smile…those blue eyes and rippling muscles are those melt you to the core qualities only men like him possess.
He’s the kind of man that my parents would kill for me to bring home for the holidays. He’s the kind of man that would make Max shut his fucking mouth for once.
It slowly starts to creep into my mind, the idea. How easy would it be to pass him off as my new boyfriend? How wonderful would it be to have my family off my back about the godforsaken subject that is my love life? How great would it be to have my dad interested in me for the first time in almost ten years?
Would Justin even go for it?
Sure he would, he’s desperate, and whether I’m a frumpy bookworm to him or not, won’t really matter as long as he gets that A term paper out of me.
“If I don’t pass Fitzburgs class I’m getting a one way ticket home this holiday, and that means I can kiss any shot I have at the NBA goodbye,” he finally says. “Name the price. Whatever it is, I’ll pay it. I have money.”
I cross my arms, gathering my thoughts for a moment before I finally decide to go for it. “I don’t want your money, Justin.”
He flashes that smile again. I feel my stomach twinge and then I get myself together.
“So you want to do it for free?”
“I didn’t say that.”
He frowns.
“What are your plans like for the holiday?”
He gives me an uncertain look. “I’m…going to spend it with my best friend and his family. My dad is taking his girlfriend to Europe. Why?”
“Well.” I start walking, and he’s quickly at my side. “Maybe you can do…something else for me.”
“Like what? Need an autograph for somebody? I can get the whole team to sign a basketball.”
“You would say that.” I roll my eyes.
He just laughs.
“Look it’s a compromise right? You need something, and I…I need something.”
“Um…” He gives me a weird look. “You’re not one of those sexual sadist type of chicks right?”
I stop walking and glare at him.r32;
“I was kidding!” He laughs. “You can’t take a joke, you know? You should laugh things off more. Like…if that basketball hit me in the face I would have laughed my ass off.”
“Well it didn’t hit you.”
He sighs. “What then? Tell me what it is and maybe I can help you.”
“Oh you’re going to have to, or you’re not getting a term paper.”
He swallows hard, and his shoulders sag slightly.
“I need to bring someone home with me…for Christmas. It would sort of be like a date for hire.”
He smirks slightly. “What’d you do? Lie to your family ‘cause you couldn’t get a date and now they’re expecting you to walk in the door with the man of the year on your arm?”
I don’t get it. He’s not supposed to be this smart. “Sort of. I just need you to pretend to be my boyfriend for a few days.”
“I’d love to help you out and everything, but I can’t sacrifice that kind of time. I have to practice and get my cardio in every day for three to five hours. It’s the only way I’ll be ready for the scouts. I’ll up the price. How about twenty five grand for the paper and we don’t discuss this again?”
My mouth almost drops open. My usual rate is five hundred for a top selling subject like English. How much money does this guy have anyway? Maybe Bonnie was right about that Ferrari and bonus money, after all.
I should take the money. It’ll be the answer to all my issues.
I should.
I almost say yes.
But my pride gets in the way. I can’t show up at the house without a date. I just can’t. “No.”
He laughs. “No? What do you mean no? I’m offering you the deal of a lifetime girl. Take it.”
I shake my head. “You either come home with me or no deal. We have a basketball court. It hardly gets used anymore. You can use it all you want, and there’s a gym in the house too.”
I walk away from him again.
“Ellie come on!” He’s caught up with me in a flash. “Come on. You gotta be a little bit more realistic about this. I can’t just…go home with you.”
“I told you my terms,” I grunt, but don’t stop walking. “At this point you should be thankful I’m doing this at all. I actually respect Fitzburg. She puts effort into every class, and you have a hell of a nerve taking it just to be closer to your girlfriend.”
“Well it’s not my fault all the other professors look the other way when I don’t…do some stupid assignment. How was I supposed to know Fitzburg was going to do this?”
“It’s not my fault you think you can take the easy way out of everything. Take my deal or leave it, Timberlake. I won’t renegotiate with you, and once I walk away today the deal is off the table. I don’t care what your coach says.”
“I can’t believe you’re serious right now.”
He’s stopped walking, but I haven’t. I keep going, smirking slightly. Hell, even if I have to be the laughing stock of my family Christmas this year, at least I’ll have taken this spoiled brat down at the same time.
“Fuck…fine all right? Fine! I’ll go!”
I stop dead in my tracks, not sure if I should believe him or not. I slowly turn around. “You will?”
He glares at me. “I don’t have a fucking choice do I? It’s either this or lose everything I’ve been working for, and I’m not about to tell my Dad that I threw my shot at the NBA away because of some freak’s family dilemma. Just don’t expect me to do anything over the top. I’ll do the basics, hold your hand, smile and play your all american college boyfriend, but that’s as far as it goes, and I better have a room to myself.”
I nod, flashing him a pleased smile. “Done. I’ll type up a basic biography for you to memorize and have it to you by tomorrow morning. I suggest you write one about yourself for me as well, because if my family doesn’t believe you’re my boyfriend, I won’t write your paper, either.”
“Do you really think they’re going to believe you anyway? I mean…you and me, we’re completely different people.”
“Better brush up on your acting skills then,” I chuckle. “I’ll expect that bio tomorrow morning.”
I don’t say anything else. I just walk away from him, hoping I’ve scared him enough that he won’t stand me up in the end. He seems so desperate though. It’s like he has to do this…not even for himself, but for some greater purpose.
Maybe, he tends to reach his goals to please others more than himself. His voice sounded too strained when he mentioned his father.
There might be more to Justin Timberlake than I originally thought, although, it’s never been my intention to care about a jock like him.
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